High School: The Most Stressful Years of My Life! For Now!

Ah, freshman year of high school. Many think of it as a fresh start, a new life. It’s finally their turn to be on top. They’re finally free, old enough to take their my own challenges, but I sure didn’t feel that way. High school can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be a quite stressful one.

For me, I’ve always been concerned about my education. I always strive to have all my work done, on time, and completed, but this strive to become excellent can lead to many stressful situations. Whenever I received an assignment, I immediately panicked because I was afraid I wouldn’t get it done or it wouldn’t be correct. The amount of work was just huge compared to what I was used to. Oakgrove head teacher John Harkin took a poll of 804 teachers.This revealed that 73% considered school (and life in general) far more stressful for students than in the previous decade. 89% of students believed high-stakes classroom assignmentsand exams play a major role in nurturing anxiety. For both females and males between the ages of 13 and 17, school stood as their primary conduit of super stress.

My stressful nature lead me down some dark paths. I didn’t even want to continue schooling. I felt alone. I always felt that people around me managed their anxiety better than I did or virtually didn’t have it.

I wanted to get a different viewpoint from my fellow classmates, so I could find ways to cope with my stressful nature. I took a survey to see what my fellow classmates did to deal with there own anxiety. The final results were very helpful. I found that I wasn’t alone. Many of my fellow class mates felt the same way I did. This also gave me suggestions on ways to relieve my stress. Once I was able to conqueror my own stressful nature, I made it my goal to help others that may be going through the same thing. Here are a few techniques that are very helpful for high school students that may be struggling with the stress of work or even life.

1) Get Involved

Getting involved can be tough sometimes, especially when you’re not super social like me. Weather it’s by getting involved with a sport, or a school club try to put yourself out there. Sports are a great way to take your mind off the hustle of a long school day. It’s also a great stress reliever.When you are physically active, your mind is distracted from daily stressors. This can help you avoid getting bogged down by negative thoughts. Exercise reduces the levels of hormones that cause stress. For me, I fell in love with the sport of soccer. Getting involved with this activity helped relieve my mind because it always gave me something to look forward to after school or on the weekends, instead of sinking in my school work.

2) Try to Socialize

For me having a bunch of friends was never my thing. I was always focused on other things like my family and independent activities. But I soon found that good friends are a necessary part of both schools and life. It was always nice it have someone to talk and study with. This also made it easier to get things done, especially school work. It’s really helpful to have someone to answer questions you may not know the answer to and the other way around. It’s beneficial to both you and the friends you choose. Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you to better deal with stress. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are solitary.Having goodfriends can allow you to open up, and release that pressure that is held in by your anxiety.

3) Music Moves You

This may seem odd but music has really helped me to deal with my anxiety. I just really enjoy listening to every song note by note. Scientist have shown that the type of music you listen to can determine or set your mood. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management. When I’m stressed, I may listen to calm and gentle music just to stimulate the emotions in my head. Then once I’m all calm and collective I may turn on some more upbeat music to reset my mind. For me music is like a reset or detox. It clears out all the clunk and confusion and replaces it with concentration and relaxation.

Everyone will encounter anxiety in some shape or form. Weather its with schoolwork, relationships, or even life. Some situations are going to be more stressful than others, but we don’t have to let it control us. We are the ones that allow stress into our lives.

These are only a few examples of what I did to help calm myself down and relieve the pressure that was built deep inside me. Let me know what you do to in stressful situations. Comment down below your most stressful experiences and how you came to conquer them. Ask me questions that you may be concerned with relating this topic and I will try my best to answer.